Electrochemical sensors are the gold standard in the field of biosensors. This is especially true in case of the billion dollar finger-stick blood glucose diagnostics market. Self-monitoring of blood glucose is a billion dollar industry that relies on single-use disposable strips. Hand-held electrochemical enzymatic sensors have been in the diabetes market for several decades and are considered as a bench-mark in the field of biosensors. These sensors rely on enzyme-coated sensor strips that produce a signal proportional to the concentration of the concerned chemical species. The concentration is then displayed on a hand-held analyzer. Majority of these sensors employ single-use sensor strips.
According to WHO's latest statistics almost 400 million people have been affected by diabetes globally. Blood glucose monitoring is extremely critical for diabetics and the hand-held glucose meters play a central role in diabetes management. Since blood glucose must be measured multiple times daily, the use of single-use glucose strips adds considerable financial burden on the patients. Multiple-use sensor strips can address this issue.